A Pure People

Scripture is clear that God desires a pure and spotless people. From the laws in the Old Testament that differentiated the clean from the unclean to the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit, Scripture is replete with this theme. What often gets missed from this perspective though is how the sins of some affect the purity of the whole. As Paul describes it, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6). One such occasion that demonstrates God’s desire for a pure people is the account of Ananias and Sapphira. Let’s see how this account shows God’s desire for the purity of his people with the IVP Bible Background Commentary.

Addressing Sin in the Camp

Ancient writers often compared positive and negative examples; Luke contrasts Barnabas (4:36–37) with Ananias and Sapphira (5:1–11). In the Old Testament, the sin of one man who had kept spoils for himself had once brought judgment on all Israel and the death of many, and only the death of the transgressor allowed Israel to move forward again (Josh 7). God took the corporate purity of his people, and the importance of sincerity in claims to total commitment, very seriously.

Acts 5:1–6

“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

“Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

“When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.”

Commentary Notes

5:1. Ananias (reflecting the Hebrew Hananiah) was a common name; “Sapphira” was rare and seems to have belonged especially to well-to-do women. Since husbands usually married wives of comparable social status, this couple probably has more money than most.

5:2–3. The Greek term nosphizo here may evoke Joshua 7:1, where an “insider” acts secretly regarding property not one’s own. Achan kept some of Jericho’s forbidden wealth and brought judgment on the entire assembly until he and his family (who knew of his activity) were executed. Gehazi also took wealth, lied about it, and was punished (2 Kings 5:27).

5:4. Ancient groups that required members to turn over their possessions usually had a waiting period during which one could take one’s property and leave (see the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Pythagoreans). The early Christians act not from a rule but from love, but this passage treats the offense of lying about turning everything over to the community more seriously than others did. The Dead Sea Scrolls excluded such an offender from the communal meal for a year and reduced food rations by one-fourth; here God executes a death sentence. Both 2 Kings 5:20–27 and a Greek inscription from Epidauros show that most ancient people knew the danger of lying to gods, God or one of his representatives.

God Strikes Ananias Down

5:5. God protected the sanctity of the tabernacle by striking down wicked priests (Lev 10:1–5). Judgment miracles were recognized in Greek tradition and are frequent in the Old Testament (e.g., Num 16:28–35; 2 Sam 6:6–7; 2 Kings 1:10, 12; 2:24; 2 Chron 26:16–21). Judgment miracles also appear in later Jewish tradition; for example, when an adulteress drank the bitter waters of the temple (Num 5) she immediately died; or some *rabbis allegedly disintegrated foolish pupils with a harsh look.

5:6. Ancients covered corpses to preserve the dignity of the deceased. It was customary to bury people on the day they died, although normally the wife would know of the burial (5:7). If relevant here, bodies might also need to be carried out of a holy place (cf. Lev 10:4–5). Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira owned no family tomb because they had handed over so much property to the church.

Acts 5:7–11

“About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

“Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

“At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”

5:7–11. The Old Testament (e.g., Deut 21:21) and later Judaism (Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbis, etc.) in many cases prescribed the death penalty so that others might “fear” (v. 11), to deter further crime. Judgment miracles sometimes had the same effect (Num 16:34; 2 Kgs 1:13–14).

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